Btw, never said that 'I' thought he was possibly our best player, just said, 'possibly' our best player. I watched NBA Gametime, and when the trade was made, I believe it was D. Aldridge who said Lowry automatically becomes our best player. Than again, I doubt he watches very much of Raptors' basketball.

Kyle Lowry was the best player on Houston last season, and they were 9th, 2 wins away from a playoff spot. The Rockets have old big men, and aren't great contributors other than Luis Scola, who in my eye is not as good as Andrea Bargnani. Kevin MArtin was extremely effective for them last season, but he wasn't the man like Lowry who could take over games.

Remember our game in Houston this past season? No one hurt us more than Lowry, Calderon and Forbes just couldn't contain him, and he really did a nice job of stunning the contributions of Forbes and Calderon.

You might think it's a stretch calling Lowry our best player, but remember, it wasn't too long during his really good run, he was considered to be a top 10 PG.

Capable of getting a triple-double every night, who else in the league does that? Not very many, Lebron, Rondo, Iguodala hit my mind, but that's basically it.

You've completely misunderstood me. You don't need to sell me on Lowry - I like the player a lot and I think it was a good trade. He's definitely an upgrade over Jose at this stage of the game and I expect him to contribute to the Raptors a lot over the next couple of seasons and hopefully beyond. He could very well be the Raps most effective player next season.

I just don't think you're a very good team if he's your best player. You brought up the Rockets finishing ninth like that's a good thing, but I think it just proves my point to be correct. Being a fringe playoff team isn't what I equate with being a good squad.

You've completely misunderstood me. You don't need to sell me on Lowry - I like the player a lot and I think it was a good trade. He's definitely an upgrade over Jose at this stage of the game and I expect him to contribute to the Raptors a lot over the next couple of seasons and hopefully beyond. He could very well be the Raps most effective player next season.

I just don't think you're a very good team if he's your best player. You brought up the Rockets finishing ninth like that's a good thing, but I think it just proves my point to be correct. Being a fringe playoff team isn't what I equate with being a good squad.

This is also a concern for me with Lowry. BryCo & Co. keeps raving about the fact that Lowry does all it takes to win and yet Lowry has only ever been to the playoffs once (08-09) and he was 3rd in PG minutes behind Brooks and Alston (yes the "Skip to the Lou" that we sent out of here a few years back). I know he is not that old (although he is supposed to be a young vet on our team - usually these types of guys are praised for bringing winning experience), but is this the guy that brings us to the playoffs. I do expect Lowry to be our "best player" but does that make us the best team possible. I still can't believe the amount of people that thought Lowry was a better pick-up than Nash for this team. Yes, Lowry will put up better stats than Nash (depending on what you emphasize) but Nash makes EVERYONE else better... Lowry, from his resume, continues to make HIMSELF better. Think of the amount of guys that flourished playing with Lowry last year... Dragic? (oh yeah, he didn't play much with him, he just took over his starting job). The amount of people that owe Nash for raising their value is ridiculous.

Sorry for the rant... I actually do like the Lowry deal (we needed the change) and he kind of reminds me of an older version of Lillard (who I was in love with prior to the draft). Just don't tell me that he knows how to win or that he is better than Nash... I hope he continues to improve and mature his own game while finding a way to make everyone else better too... oh yeah and bring us back to the playoffs (not expecting much).

I just don't think you're a very good team if he's your best player. You brought up the Rockets finishing ninth like that's a good thing, but I think it just proves my point to be correct. Being a fringe playoff team isn't what I equate with being a good squad.

Did you see the talent around Lowry on Houston? The only other player I considered a big time contributor was Scola, who is 32 years old I believe. That's a good accomplishment of finishing 9th for a team with less talent we had last season..

MLSE the worst Ownership group in all of pro sports.

The recent dumping of Bayless and JJohnson is further evidence of why MLSE is the worst ownership group in all of sports. If you look at their properties the proof is in the pudding.

TFC - never made the playoffs always in turmoil
Bluejays 2 decades since they have played a meaningful game past August
Leafs - longest playoff drought
Raptors - always in lottery

why do these teams always suck?

MLSE only cares about bottom line. They continually dump financial obligations and get nothing in return in order to keep the bottom line as tidy as possible.

That is why they won't allow BC to amnesty Calderon (because they we still have to pay his salary even though it would not count against the cap).

That is why they are dumping Bayless and JJohnson for Nothing in return. Nothing - it is a f***ing travesty. Those two players might not be the answer but each showed promise and were not too big a burden to keep under salary.

Remember that TPE from the Bosh trade? - there is another 9 mill they could have used...what happened?

Lets see what they do with the cap space - and I highly doubt they will take back a comparable salary in Calderon Trade... BC will be using his diminishing credibility to talk about "...cap flexibility moving forward..." .

Flexibility which will never ever be used - gawd I wish one Toronto team had a good owner instead they all got the same sh***y bunch of bean counters

Did you see the talent around Lowry on Houston? The only other player I considered a big time contributor was Scola, who is 32 years old I believe. That's a good accomplishment of finishing 9th for a team with less talent we had last season..

Well you neglected to mention their leading scorer (Martin) and the man who took Lowry's starting job (Dragic), never mind some of the other solid role players they have. Regardless, I don't know how you can say the Rockets had less talent than the Raps last year and still won 11 more games in a tougher conference. Is Kevin McHale the greatest coach in the game right now or something?

So stupid how every single perceived negative thread gets merged into here. Separate discussion about the capability of the GM, the trust in ownership, and the quality of the team all get dumped in here. I still cant see any movitivion behind it other than the mods just like to merge threads to reinforce to themselves that they are in fact moderators.

So stupid how every single perceived negative thread gets merged into here. Separate discussion about the capability of the GM, the trust in ownership, and the quality of the team all get dumped in here. I still cant see any movitivion behind it other than the mods just like to merge threads to reinforce to themselves that they are in fact moderators.

Don't get your panties in a bunch! We get your point and we'll take your criticism into account next time around.

So stupid how every single perceived negative thread gets merged into here. Separate discussion about the capability of the GM, the trust in ownership, and the quality of the team all get dumped in here. I still cant see any movitivion behind it other than the mods just like to merge threads to reinforce to themselves that they are in fact moderators.

you're new. if you were here during the original forming of the "Everything Bargnani" thread, you'd understand...

So stupid how every single perceived negative thread gets merged into here. Separate discussion about the capability of the GM, the trust in ownership, and the quality of the team all get dumped in here. I still cant see any movitivion behind it other than the mods just like to merge threads to reinforce to themselves that they are in fact moderators.

Yes, you are correct. Moderators should never merge threads even when some angry poster goes a rant and starts on a new thread on some issue or other which is already discussed two threads down.

/sarcasm=off

Bringing a tiny element - if it's not just the usual hyperbolic rant - does not warrant a new thread.

So stupid how every single perceived negative thread gets merged into here. Separate discussion about the capability of the GM, the trust in ownership, and the quality of the team all get dumped in here. I still cant see any movitivion behind it other than the mods just like to merge threads to reinforce to themselves that they are in fact moderators.

Because you bitch about the same shit all the time, it gets annoying so it gets dumped here.